have done for my own brother had I one,
and I have done it because I believe and hope that you are a man who
would not use this power, should you inherit it, for selfish ends.
But even now I have not told you all. There is one link which I have
withheld from you, and which shall be withheld from you while I live.
But look at this chest, Robert."

He led him to a great iron-clamped chest which stood in the corner, and,
throwing it open, he took from it a small case of carved ivory.

"Inside this," he said, "I have left a paper which makes clear anything
which is still hidden from you. Should anything happen to me you
will always be able to inherit my powers, and to continue my plans
by following the directions which are there expressed. And now,"
he continued, throwing his casket back again into the box, "I shall
frequently require your help, but I do not think it will be necessary
this morning. I have already taken up too much of your time. If you are
going back to Elmdene I wish that you would tell Laura that I shall be
with her in the afternoon."

CHAPTER XII. A FAMILY JAR.

And so the great secret was out, and Robert walked home with his head in
a whirl, and the blood tingling in his veins. He had shivered as he
came up at the damp cold of the wind and the sight of the mist-mottled
landscape. That was all gone now. His own thoughts tinged everything
with sunshine, and he felt inclined to sing and dance as he walked
down the muddy, deeply-rutted country lane. Wonderful had been the fate
allotted to Raffles Haw, but surely hardly less important that which had
come upon himself. He was the sharer of the alchemist's secret, and
the heir to an inheritance which combined a wealth greater than that of
monarchs, to a freedom such as monarchs cannot enjoy. This was a destiny
indeed! A thousand gold-tinted visions of his future life rose up
before him, and in fancy he already sat high above the human race,
with prostrate thousands imploring his aid, or thanking him for his
benevolence.

How sordid seemed the untidy garden, with its scrappy bushes and gaunt
elm trees! How mean the plain brick front, with the green wooden porch!
It had always offended his artistic sense, but now it was obtrusive in
its ugliness. The plain room, too, with the American leather chairs, the
dull-coloured carpet, and the patchwork rug, he felt a loathing for it
all. The only pretty thing in it, upon which his eyes could rest with
satisf